The ProBoolean and ProCutter compound objects provide you with modeling tools for combining 2D and 3D shapes in ways that would be difficult or impossible otherwise.
The ProBoolean compound object takes a 3ds Max mesh and adds extra intelligence to it prior to performing Boolean operations. First it combines the topologies, then it determines coplanar triangles and removes incident edges. The Booleans are then performed not on triangles but N-sided polygons. Once the Boolean operations are completed, the result is retriangulated and sent back into 3ds Max with coplanar edges hidden. The result of this extra work is twofold: The reliability of the Boolean object is extremely high, and the resulting output is much cleaner in terms of having fewer small edges and triangles.
Objects combined by using ProBoolean
Advantages of ProBoolean over the legacy 3ds Max Boolean compound object include:
- Better quality mesh: fewer small edges, fewer narrow triangles.
- Smaller mesh: fewer vertices and faces.
- Easier and faster to use: unlimited objects per Boolean operation.
- Cleaner-looking mesh: coplanar edges remain hidden.
- Integrated decimation and quad meshing
In addition, ProCutter is an excellent tool for exploding, breaking apart, assembling, sectioning, or fitting together objects such as a 3D puzzle. See the following illustration for an example of a goblet shattering.
Shattering a glass by use of the ProCutter object